Arizona Opinion: My plea to fellow Arizonans: Have faith in our elections

I excitedly cast my very first vote 70 years ago in my hometown of Miami, Arizona. Since that first vote in 1952, I’ve felt the excitement of voting at every election. This year, however, with early voting underway, a very different sense is paramount.

Today instead of feeling excited to vote, I’m filled with a sense of dreadful concern and urgency for my family, my community, my Arizona and my America.

Much is on the line this election, with several candidates on the ballot openly admitting they don’t accept the results of the 2020 election; saying they won’t accept this November’s election if their team is not victorious; and, if elected, they commit to overturning the results of any free and fair election in 2024 if they disagree with the outcome.

Just as concerning is the unpredictability of how fired-up people will react if the results of this year’s midterm election do not go their way.

In 2020, we saw an unprecedented, violent and deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol encouraged by Donald Trump’s illegal attempt to hold onto power. Closer to home, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs and other elected officials received death threats and protests outside their homes.

Now, the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI have identified Arizona as a top state for threats to elections officials and poll workers in 2022. Politicians, including law enforcement officials, openly intimidate people at the polls in concert with extremist vigilantes harassing voters at official ballot drop boxes.

The risk of violence is inflamed by elected officials, media personalities, and candidates who continue to spread lies about the validity of the 2020 election. Myths about voter fraud have been debunked by various sources, including the courts who have thrown out frivolous lawsuits. Yet, people with wide platforms like Kari Lake and Mark Finchem continue to sow doubt in the minds of voters. Their goal is clear: They want to soften the ground to be able to overturn future elections if they disagree with the will of voters.

They are playing a dangerous game and my plea to my fellow Arizonans is: don’t let these extremists manipulate you. We must remember that our devotion to truth and united patriotism to our Constitution has always made our nation strong.

Arizona is facing genuine problems, ranging from our water sources drying up to the privatization of education, to the threatened cuts to our Social Security and Medicare. While we might not all agree on every issue, we must return to a time of neighbors sitting across from one another, seeing each other’s humanity, and respecting our different perspectives. We must return to a time where facts are facts and where trusted sources of information are believed over conspiracy theorists who seek only to divide us. We must remember that we have more in common with the person on the side of the road asking for money than with the billionaire who contributes $5,000 to a political candidate who promises to provide tax cuts for the wealthy.

When you vote this year, I encourage you to have faith in our elections which are the trusted foundation of our American institutions of governance. Remember that close to 80% of Arizonans vote by mail, a system that is one of the best in the country and has been certified by every Arizona county and every court as safe, factual, and truthful.

We must all accept the certified decisions of the majority of our neighbors when the results are released. And most of all, no matter how you vote, I urge you to participate and ensure our continued existence as a constitutional democratic republic.

Reject the insurrectionist extremists. Let us celebrate that we have kept the faith of our nation’s founders by rejecting autocracy and supporting democracy.